kitchen gadgets i totally love (and probably couldn't do without)

I love summer for many reasons. One of those reasons is BERRIES, especially strawberries! I love them. And, in a roundabout way, strawberries are the inspiration for today's post.

Before Ross and I got married, we registered at Bed Bath & Beyond. Ross got to hold the scan gun, which explains a lot of items on our registry: the restaurant-style toothpick holder, the citrus peeler, the strawberry huller. I never thought I'd admit it, but I love that strawberry huller. Actually, it's the first item on today's list:

Kitchen Gadgets I Totally Love and Probably Couldn't Do Without


1. Oxo Strawberry Huller

I realize a strawberry huller is a unitasker, but I'm making an exception for this one. This little gadget is really handy when your family goes through two or three cartons of strawberries a week. Before owning the strawberry huller, I just lopped off the top of the strawberry -- an effective method, to be sure, but it wastes a lot more of the strawberry than necessary. Now, I just pull the leaves off, remove the hull with this little gadget, and voila -- strawberries are ready to eat!

2. Salter Kitchen Scale

Where would I be without my kitchen scale? I love this little gadget. I bought mine at BB&B with a 20% off coupon, but they're widely available everywhere. This is most handy for measuring liquids. Shortly after buying this scale, I conducted an experiment to determine the weight of commonly used liquids. Know what I found out? Alton Brown's saying is true: "A pint is a pound the world around."  One pint of liquid = 16 oz.  So, do you need to measure 1/2 c. of milk but hate to dirty up your liquid measuring cup? No problem! Just put your bowl on the scale, turn it on, and pour until the display reads 4 oz. It also works for water, orange juice, and pretty much any other liquid. 

3. Cookie Scoop

I have no idea what brand mine is, but I love my cookie scoop. It's great for no-bake cookies & chocolate chip cookies, especially if you loathe the two-spoon method like I do. It's great for making uniform cookies so you don't end up with some bite-sized and some gargantuan-sized. I also really like this for scooping ice cream into a small dish. It makes me feel like I'm eating more ice cream than I actually am!

Let me know what kitchen gadgets you can't live without!

settling in

Sorry for the complete lack of updates around here. We've been a little busy!

We finally got ALL of our stuff moved to Tulsa a few weekends ago. There are still a few boxes sitting around unpacked, but things are starting to come together. I'll try to post some pictures soon. I got to exercise my domestic skills over the weekend when we discovered that our curtains were about a foot too long. It doesn't feel like it, but apparently our new place has lower ceilings than our old apartment! Let's just say that I did not miss my calling to be a seamstress. Very little natural talent there, but I think I got the job done.

Now I am knee deep in bar exam preparation. I have classes almost every day from now until July 9, even on Saturdays and, once, on a Sunday! My bar prep course has a rigid schedule to follow, and I'm planning on sticking to it. Life will be un-fun for a while.

I think I promised some graduation pictures. These are also on Facebook, but here are some highlights:

This is a terrible photo of my dad and me.

Mom & Dad at The Wooden Spoon in Gentry, Ark. Best. Bread. Pudding. Ever.

The fam.

This is me, off in the distance, getting my name mispronounced when being presented with two awards. Lee-ah. Two syllables! Who knew it was so hard? 

My sweet husband and me.

I think he was proud.

Me with Mom & Dad. I think they might've been a little proud, too. Thanks for everything, Mom & Dad! (Especially the money!)

Michael A. Thompson, left; me, right. I feel pretty privileged since apparently Michael thinks he looks terrible in photos and refuses to have them taken. And hey, there's a little bit of Schube and his lady friend in the back! Schube, if you ever read my blog, hope you're doing well in KC.

This is me with my friend Katie. We suffered through first-year Legal Research & Writing together. I'll never forget the day our memos were due first semester. The topic: In Texas, can a person get money for suffering emotional distress after her pet horse nearly died due to veterinary malpractice? The answer: When pigs fly. The poetic justice: Our professor couldn't be at school the day we turned in the memos because her horse stepped on her.